Hap Stewart is a real estate attorney and has been a partner with Taylor, Stewart and Houston in Riverside since 1997.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
He specializes in commercial and residential real estate law. He also does some estate work.
HOW DID YOU GET THE NICKNAME HAP?
“It’s a nickname that the nurses gave me in the hospital when I was just an infant They called me ‘Happy’ and just kind of stuck. My real name is Carl, but I like Hap better than Carl.”
BEFORE TAYLOR, STEWART AND HOUSTON?
He worked for Corrigan Werber and Moore and then for Ulmer Murchison Ashby and Taylor for 16 years. He went to work for Rogers Towers for a short time before reluctantly leaving to form Taylor Stewart and Houston. “I have a lot of good friends there and it was hard to leave.”
PASSED THE BAR
1970.
HOW’S THE AIR UP THERE?
Stewart is 6-foot-6 and barely clears most doorways, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
WHAT AREA OF LAW DID YOU START IN?
“I started out doing a lot of litigation, but when I started with Ulmer Murchison Ashby and Taylor they put me in an area where the clients seemed to have more needs from a real estate area, so I sort of gravitated to that area.”
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO PRACTICE MAINLY REAL ESTATE LAW?
“It just sort of evolved. I always did a little of it and then client needs pointed me into that direction. I had several new clients who needed me to help them in that field and so my practice gravitated in that direction in order to meet the needs of my new clients.
DO YOU ENJOY REAL ESTATE LAW?
“Yes, I really do. It’s positive and constructive. Everyone is usually working toward a common goal to accomplish some good, so that makes it a positive situation.“
WHAT ISSUES DO YOU FACE AS A REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY?
“It has gotten far more difficult over the last 10 years with land use, growth management and the permitting process. It has gotten to be a far more complicated and involved process.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHAT IS HAPPENING DOWNTOWN?
“It sure is exciting. I hope it all works. When you consider how our skyline has changed over the last 20 years, it surely is a positive step. And now the fairly strong effort to get residential downtown, particularly along the waterfront as well as some loft apartments in some old buildings that were sitting vacant and unattractive, is an exciting prospect and I hope it works.”
WHAT’S ABOUT RIVERSIDE?
“This is exciting over here, too. The City has recently condemned a lot of property between our building (at the corner of Lomax and Riverside) and downtown and they are going to widen it and put a lot of new projects in there. We have two other exciting projects with the old Riverside Hospital being torn down and a new Publix center being built and right across the street a whole lot of new apartments. This is an area that really seems to be growing and taking on a whole new approach of its own.”
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE AN ATTORNEY?
“Back as far as high school, I wanted to be an attorney. I had some good friends whose dads were attorneys and I spent a lot of time around them. I had always respected and admired [them] very much so it’s something I thought I wanted to do.”
CIVIC AND PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
He is past president of the Meninak Club, the Jacksonville Bar Association and the Jacksonville Zoological Gardens. He is involved in the Learn to Read program and is presently on the board of Hubbard House.
WHAT DID YOU BRING FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE AS PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE VARIOUS ASSOCIATIONS?
“Primarily, just being around a lot of people who were working hard to see the revitalization of the downtown area as one of the top goals of this community. I have been fortunate enough to be around a number of people who have been involved in that and watch them as they try to bring that goal into reality.”
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE INVOLVED IN DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION?
“I would like to be able to help in any way I could. If we have a client that we could steer towards possibly doing something downtown, we are certainly happy to. It’s something everybody is for, so it would be fun to be a part of it.”
BIRTHPLACE
He was born in Bainbridge, Ga., but moved to Jacksonville when he was two years old.
COLLEGE
He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina and earned a law degree from University of Florida School of Law.
FAMILY
He has been married to Annie for 31 years. They have two sons, Graham, 27, and Huston, 24. Graham is an associate with Cantrell Real Estate and Huston is with a New York City financial firm.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“Trying to accomplish something positive that is good for both sides. I like to see a real estate transaction close where the buyer and seller are both happy.”
BEST SUMMER JOB?
“I had a friend in Atlanta who owned a travel agency when [present U.S. Rep.] Ander Crenshaw and I were in law school together. Back in the 1960s, when kids went to Europe, they pretty much traveled in a group. My friend arranged tours to go to Europe that lasted 8-12 weeks. He needed somebody to be in charge and make sure the trip functioned and happened as they were scheduled. It sounds like a dream trip, because all the travelers were girls. We had to hold all of the tickets, money and make sure that we got on the right bus to take us to the hotel from the airport. We were in charge of that. He wouldn’t take anyone who wasn’t in graduate school; he wanted that break in age between the graduates and the undergraduates. I did it three summers in a row for 8-12 weeks each time. It was really a spectacular time because we went to some really neat places. There couldn’t have been a better summer job in the country. I met some really nice girls that I still communicate with.”
HOBBIES
“Anything outdoor related. I play golf and tennis. I also have a canoe that I spend some time in out in the cove behind our house. A lot of times when I’m out canoeing, I’ll spend a good bit of time picking up trash from the river. Unfortunately there is a lot of it in there, including bottles, styrofoam cups and cans. It’s not fun, but it really detracts from the niceness of the waterway because it can accumulate in substantial quantities out there. So I’ll get a garbage bag and my net and get out in my canoe and clean it up.”
RESIDES
Ortega.
ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO NEW REAL ESTATE LAWYERS?
“I would stress how important it is to deal properly with clients in terms of treating them like they would like to be treated.”
FAVORITES
His favorite movie of all time is “Mrs. Doubtfire.” When dining out upscale, he prefers Ruth’s Chris Steak House, but if he’s going casual, he prefers Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q. His favorite place to visit, and one he has visited every summer for the past 31 years, is Point O’Woods on Fire Island, N.Y. When watching television he likes sports, especially University of Florida and North Carolina events.
— by Michele Newbern Gillis